ES
Home › Calculators › Trucking Cost Per Mile Calculator

Trucking Cost Per Mile Calculator

Work out what every mile really costs your truck. Enter your monthly fixed costs, fuel, maintenance and mileage to get your cost per mile, the break-even rate per loaded mile after deadhead, and the rate you need to hit your income goal.

Last updated:

Miles
mi

All miles, loaded and empty. About 10,000 mi/month is common for a solo long-haul truck.

%

Share of miles driven without a paying load.

Fixed costs per month
$
$
$
$

Annual IRP, UCR, HVUT (Form 2290) etc. divided by 12.

$
$
Variable costs
$
MPG
$

Budget roughly 15-20 cents/mile for a mid-age tractor; set aside even when nothing breaks.

$
$
$

Leave 0 if you drive the truck yourself and pay yourself from profit.

Income & rate
$

What you want to take home before personal income tax.

%

Cushion for slow weeks and future truck replacement.

$

Line-haul plus fuel surcharge you actually get paid. Leave blank to skip the profit check.

Enter your values to see the result.
Advertisement
Advertisement

How to use the Trucking Cost Per Mile Calculator

  1. Enter your monthly miles and the share of them that are deadhead (empty).
  2. Add fixed costs: truck and trailer payments, insurance, permits and software, all per month.
  3. Add variable costs: diesel price and MPG, maintenance and tire reserve per mile, tolls and any hired driver pay.
  4. Set your income goal and an optional profit margin, plus the rate you are being offered.
  5. Press Calculate cost per mile to see cost per mile, break-even rate, target rate and the full breakdown.

Trucking cost per mile formulas

  • Cost per mile = (fixed costs + variable costs) ÷ total miles
  • Fuel cost per mile = diesel price ÷ MPG (for example $3.75 ÷ 6.5 = $0.577)
  • Loaded miles = total miles × (1 − deadhead %)
  • Break-even rate per loaded mile = total costs ÷ loaded miles
  • Target rate = (total costs + income goal) ÷ (1 − margin %) ÷ loaded miles

Example: a truck runs 10,000 miles a month with 12% deadhead. Fixed costs are $4,500 and variable costs are $8,119 (fuel $5,769, maintenance $1,800, tires $400, tolls $150, no hired driver), so the total is $12,619. Cost per mile is $12,619 ÷ 10,000 = $1.262. Only 8,800 miles are paid, so the break-even rate is $12,619 ÷ 8,800 = $1.434 per loaded mile.

Fixed vs variable trucking costs

Fixed (paid even when parked)Variable (grow with every mile)
Truck and trailer payments or leasesDiesel and DEF
Liability, cargo and physical damage insuranceMaintenance and repairs
IRP plates, UCR, Heavy Vehicle Use Tax (Form 2290)Tires
ELD subscription, phone, load boardsTolls, scales, lumper fees
Accounting, parking, factoring feesHired driver pay per mile

Tips to lower your cost per mile

  • Cut deadhead first. Every empty mile adds cost with no revenue; planning backhauls often helps more than chasing a slightly higher rate.
  • Watch idle time and speed. Fuel is usually the biggest single cost, and a lower cruising speed can improve MPG noticeably.
  • Shop insurance every renewal and keep a clean safety record, since insurance is one of the largest fixed costs.
  • Recalculate monthly. Diesel prices, miles and repairs change; a cost per mile from last year can hide a loss today.

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate cost per mile for a truck?

Add up every cost for a period, both fixed (truck and trailer payments, insurance, permits) and variable (fuel, maintenance, tires, tolls, driver pay), then divide by the total miles driven in that period. For example, $13,000 of monthly costs over 10,000 miles is $1.30 per mile.

What is the difference between cost per mile and cost per loaded mile?

Cost per mile spreads costs over every mile the truck drives. Brokers and shippers only pay for loaded miles, so your break-even rate must cover the empty miles too: divide total costs by loaded miles. With 12% deadhead, a $1.30 cost per mile becomes about $1.48 per loaded mile.

What is a typical owner-operator cost per mile?

It varies widely with equipment age, insurance, fuel prices and miles driven. Industry surveys such as ATRI's annual Operational Costs of Trucking report have put total marginal costs roughly in the $1.80 to $2.30 per mile range in recent years, including driver wages and benefits. Your own records are the only reliable number, which is why this calculator uses yours.

Why does my cost per mile go down when I drive more miles?

Fixed costs like the truck payment and insurance stay the same each month no matter how far you drive. More miles spread them thinner, so fixed cost per mile falls while fuel and maintenance per mile stay about the same. The mileage table shows this effect for your numbers.

Should I include my own pay in cost per mile?

Many owner-operators keep two numbers: the operating cost per mile without their own pay (the true break-even for the truck) and a target rate that adds their income goal. This calculator does exactly that, and you can add a hired driver's per-mile pay as an operating cost.

How much should I set aside for maintenance?

A common rule of thumb is around 15 to 20 cents per mile for maintenance and repairs on a mid-age tractor, plus a few cents per mile for tires. Older trucks and heavy-haul work need more. Put the money in a separate account so a major repair does not stop the business.

Does the rate per loaded mile include the fuel surcharge?

Compare like with like. If your costs include all fuel, compare them against your all-in rate (line-haul plus fuel surcharge). Our Fuel Surcharge Calculator works out the surcharge part from the diesel price.

Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?

Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.

Related tools

Fuel Surcharge CalculatorFreight fuel surcharge per mile and percent from diesel price, base price and MPG.Freight Class CalculatorEstimate LTL freight class from density (lb per cubic foot) for one or many pallets.Fuel Cost CalculatorWork out trip fuel costs and split them.Break Even CalculatorFind break-even units and revenue, contribution margin, margin of safety and a cost-volume chart.Profit Margin CalculatorGross margin, markup, cost or price: solve for any one, single or bulk.Receipt MakerFill in a receipt template with items and tax, then print or save PDF.Car Depreciation CalculatorEstimate your car's value over time and its projected resale price.CTR CalculatorCalculate click-through rate and compare it with industry benchmarks.Conversion Rate CalculatorCalculate e-commerce conversion rate, revenue per visitor and goals.CPM CalculatorSolve CPM, cost, impressions, CTR and CPC for ad campaigns.Quote Estimate GeneratorCreate a quote or estimate with line items and tax, then save as PDF.ROAS Calculator (Return on Ad Spend)Calculate ROAS, break-even ROAS and profit for each ad channel.Customer Lifetime Value CalculatorCalculate customer lifetime value, LTV:CAC ratio and CAC payback from ARPU and churn.Churn Rate CalculatorCalculate customer churn and retention rates and convert monthly churn to annual.YouTube Money CalculatorEstimate YouTube earnings per day, month and year from views and RPM by niche.Instagram Engagement Rate CalculatorCalculate Instagram engagement rate by followers or reach and compare it to benchmarks.Ecommerce Profit CalculatorNet profit, margin, markup and break-even ROAS per order after fees, ads and returns.Amazon FBA CalculatorEstimate Amazon FBA fees, profit per unit, margin, ROI and break-even price.Etsy Fee CalculatorEtsy listing, transaction, processing and Offsite Ads fees, payout and net profit.eBay Fee CalculatoreBay final value fee, per-order fee, ad fees, payout and net profit on any sale.Stock Profit CalculatorStock trade profit and % return after commissions, plus the break-even sell price.Dollar Cost Averaging CalculatorSee units bought, average cost, value and profit for regular buys at your own price list.Startup Runway CalculatorProject cash, burn rate and runway month by month, with growth, break-even and zero-cash date.SaaS Pricing CalculatorModel flat, per-seat, tiered and volume plans with annual discounts to get MRR, ARR and ARPU.Employee Cost CalculatorWork out the true cost of an employee: payroll taxes, benefits, overhead and real hourly cost.Inventory Turnover CalculatorInventory turnover ratio and days inventory outstanding from COGS or sales and average stock.Markup CalculatorFind the selling price from cost and markup, or the markup and margin from cost and price.Unit Price CalculatorCompare up to 4 products by price per ounce, pound, liter or item and find the best deal.Cap Rate CalculatorCalculate a rental property's NOI, cap rate and optional cash-on-cash return.Depreciation CalculatorStraight-line, declining balance, double declining and sum-of-years depreciation schedules.Crypto Profit CalculatorCalculate crypto trade profit, ROI and break-even price after buy and sell fees.PayPal Fee CalculatorWork out PayPal fees, what you receive, and how much to ask for to get an exact amount.Stripe Fee CalculatorCalculate Stripe fees and payouts, or how much to charge to receive an exact amount.Net Promoter Score CalculatorCalculate NPS from promoter, passive and detractor counts or pasted 0–10 survey scores.CPC CalculatorCalculate cost per click from ad spend and clicks, plus CPM, CTR, CPA and ROAS.P/E Ratio CalculatorPrice-to-earnings ratio, earnings yield and PEG ratio from share price, EPS and growth.WACC CalculatorWeighted average cost of capital from equity, debt, their costs and the tax rate.Payback Period CalculatorPayback and discounted payback period for an investment with even or uneven cash flows.Website Traffic Goal CalculatorVisitors needed for a revenue goal from conversion rate and AOV, or leads and close rate.YouTube Sponsorship Rate CalculatorPrice a sponsored YouTube integration from views × CPM, niche, integration length and add-ons.Contribution Margin CalculatorContribution margin per unit, CM ratio, operating profit and break-even point.Customer Acquisition Cost CalculatorCAC from marketing and sales spend, plus LTV:CAC ratio and payback months.CPA CalculatorCost per acquisition from ad spend, plus break-even and target CPA from your margin.Safety Stock CalculatorSafety stock by days of cover, max − average, or service level (Z × σ × √lead time).Dimensional Weight CalculatorDIM weight and billable weight for a box in inches or cm with 139, 166, 5000 or 6000 divisors.RPM CalculatorRevenue per 1,000 views from earnings, estimated earnings from RPM, and views for a goal.Customer Retention Rate CalculatorCustomer retention rate and churn from start, end and new customer counts.Margin to Markup CalculatorConvert gross margin % to markup % and back, with price multiplier and conversion table.Airbnb Income CalculatorShort-term rental net income from nightly rate, occupancy, cleaning, fees and expenses.Golden Ratio CalculatorSplit a length into golden sections, find a from b, and get a φ scale of design sizes.3D Printing Cost CalculatorCost and selling price of a 3D print: filament, power, machine wear, failures and labor.Billable Hours Utilization CalculatorUtilization rate, billable revenue and the hours needed to reach your target.Break Even ROAS CalculatorMargin, break-even ROAS and CPA, and the target ROAS for your profit goal per order.Business Valuation CalculatorValue a business with SDE, EBITDA or revenue multiples you choose: low, mid and high range.CAC Payback Period CalculatorMonths to recover customer acquisition cost from gross profit, with churn and benchmarks.Cash App Fee CalculatorCash App instant deposit, business and credit card fees, with a reverse mode.Cash Conversion Cycle CalculatorDIO, DSO, DPO and the cash conversion cycle in days from inventory, receivables and payables.Cost of Goods Sold CalculatorCOGS from beginning inventory, purchases, direct costs and ending inventory, plus gross margin.Commercial Rent CalculatorMonthly and annual commercial rent from price per sq ft, NNN/CAM and yearly escalations.1099 vs W-2 CalculatorCompare a W-2 salary with benefits to a 1099 contract rate and find the break-even hourly rate.Cost Per Lead CalculatorCPL from spend and leads or clicks, max budget for a target CPL and a channel comparison.Car Cost Per Mile CalculatorWork out what your car really costs per mile and per year, from fuel to depreciation.Cost Per Use CalculatorFind the true cost per use of an item, including upkeep and resale, and compare up to 3.Days Sales Outstanding CalculatorDSO, receivables turnover and average collection period from AR and credit sales.Debt to Equity Ratio CalculatorD/E ratio, debt ratio and equity multiplier from liabilities or debt and equity, explained.DCF CalculatorDiscounted cash flow model: projected FCF, terminal value and intrinsic value per share.Stacked Discount CalculatorFind the final price of stacked discounts like 20% + 10% off, with coupon and sales tax.Debt Service Coverage Ratio CalculatorDSCR from NOI and loan payments, max loan for a target ratio and lender pass/fail check.
See all 209 Business & Marketing Calculators →